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Post by Cypress Springleap on Nov 30, 2023 19:14:37 GMT -5
“Spicy?” She repeats, tail wiggling nervously as the puppy gets wrangled into sitting by his collar. He’s still staring at her with the intensity of the seven hells he probably came from, but Astrid is assuring her that he’s good with strangers, and even though she’s known Astrid for all of fifteen minutes, she is obligated to trust her. “It’s okay! I like dogs, it just surprised me...” She traipses back a few steps, giggling sheepishly as she looks between Astrid, and the newly distracted Spicy.
“His name is Spicy?” She asks, hesitantly recovering her few steps forwards; she pauses when Spicy looks up at her for a moment, before returning to the jerky; and reaches forwards to offer her hand for the hellhound to sniff. She waits patiently until he has before she reaches out and rests her palm on his head. She gasps, pulling back a bit, before resting her hand on him again. “He is warm!” She whispers, her ears wiggling curiously as she gives Spicy a gentle pat on the head, then reaches to give him a scratch behind the ear.
“Hi, Spicy.” She greets tentatively, but as she continues to give him pets, she gains a bit of confidence. “My name is Cypress, it’s very nice to meet you. I bet you’d be very proud of how Astrid caved in that seller’s teeth earlier in Darkveil.” She chuckles, before glancing up at Astrid with a grin. "He's so cute! Where'd you get a hellhound, though?"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 1, 2023 22:59:52 GMT -5
Making sure that things have settled down and also carefully watching Cypress for any fear, Astrid corrects herself. “Well, his full name is Spicy Pawsage,” she says. “‘Cause he’s a hot dog, an’ he likes spicy sausages. So… Spicy Pawsage!” It really is a silly name, but it’s something she’s genuinely proud of because of how well it works in her opinion.
When Cypress pats him, his glowing eyes shoot to focus on her, but they instantly close as his body loses stiffness at the feelings of Some Very Good Scratches. His bony tail scrapes across the floor while he nuzzles against her hand. As some recognition for her speaking to him, the hellhound’s throat rumbles, low and slow and not threatening. At least, as non-threatening as he can be.
“Oh, me gramps gave him ta me,” Astrid says. “Basically summoned ‘im right from the depths. Gramps is a… Well, he’s got some odd magic.” She leaves out that the vampire is a necromancer with some ties to hell or something and that’s how. She chose not to ask questions of the man she barely knew but was excited to spend time with. “I had to tame him, an’ I didn’t ask too many questions.”
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 2, 2023 14:48:53 GMT -5
“Spicy Pawsage…” she repeats with a blink while she’s scratching at the back of Spicy’s ears; she purses her lips, trying to hide a bemused smile, but is unable to do so. “That’s so cute!” she whispers, laughing when she hears Spicy’s tail scraping across the floor in a wag. “Aww, Spicy Pawsage, you’re such a good boy! You are!” She can feel his throat rumbling even from the top of his head, or the back of his neck; but it reminds her a lot like the purr of a cat.
It’s strange how such a scary looking puppy can make such cute noises. Cypress is extremely content to give Spicy as many pets as he wants, so long as he’s willing to receive them. She looks up at Astrid over Spicy’s head with a surprised blink, exclaiming, “He summoned Spicy!? Wuh…” There’s something a little spooky about that… but Spicy is a very nice dog, and he’s very cute despite the whole hellhound thing.
Cypress has never seen a hellhound before, but she’s seen pictures of them— snarling, flame leaking from between their canines— in books, mostly. They’re always angry, always bad… but Spicy Pawsage is very good. “I bet that must have been really cool…” She remarks, “Like you, Spicy! I’ve never seen such a good boy before!” She gives Spicy one last scratch under the chin with a giggle, before standing up to her hooves, tail and ears wiggling with glee as she looks at Astrid. “Was he always so nice, or did you have to teach him to be nice? When I first came to Darkveil, I was told they were scary out in the Ash Lands... I never thought I'd get to pet one! He's so warm.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 2, 2023 18:47:20 GMT -5
Astrid beams a prideful smile while Cypress fawns over her hot pawed companion, and Spicy Pawsage takes all the joy in the world at the affections he receives. With everything going on around Mount Drakolt and all the other nonsense, it’s been a couple of weeks since the hound has had some proper affections from his favorite person. Even if a stranger came home with her, he’s happy to see Astrid home.
“Aye, he did,” Astrid says. “Not entirely sure how, but I didn’t really ask a lot a’ questions.” Once Cypress is done with her pets, Astrid takes a knee and gives Spicy a really good full-body scratching with her gloved hands. Bits of his hair float up into the air like pieces of ash from a disturbed campfire. “Gramps summoned him when he was a pup, so I got ta spend a bit a’ time learnin’ him ta be friendly. I’ve definitely run into a pack a’ wild hellhounds, and I can say fer sure they ain’t nice at all."
With Spicy thoroughly scratched and roughed up, Astrid stands again and kicks her boots off under the bench in the foyer, which is about as neat as she ever leaves them. At least they’re out of the way. “Weird, I ain’t heard from da. He’d usually be rushin’ up ta us by now.” She turns and calls up the stairs, “Da? Ya home?” Rather than the dainty footfalls of a fellblood in slippers, a heavy clunking of a humanoid golem approaches, glowing red eyes peering from the darkened hallway.
Charles, the BlixtoTM, who has essentially acted as a steward of the house, speaks to them in a rhythmic, inhuman voice. “Mistress Astrid, greeting: Welcome home. Report: Conscript Cantio is running errands in town. Processing analysis… Analysis complete. He will be happy to see you when he returns.”
Astrid gets a bit of a disappointed look on her face. “Ah, that’s too bad. Charles, this is Cypress, me new friend! She’ll be stayin’ with us fer a bit, an’ I’ll be teachin’ her magic! If ya see da before we do, tell him that we’ll be makin’ a mess a’ the backyard! I’ll watch out fer his garden.”
Charles stands still whilst processing the request then his eyes light up when he speaks again. “Orders confirmed. This unit will relay the message to Conscript Cantio.” Then he looks to Cypress. “Greeting: Hello, Civilian Cypress. This unit is pleased to meet you.”
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 2, 2023 22:56:40 GMT -5
Cypress giggles while she watches Astrid scratch Spicy all over; but she’s mostly distracted by the hair, which rises up and flickers out like ashes from a fire. She looks back at Astrid, her smile ever-present, “ Awww… a puppy!?” She repeats, her expression softening with a sort of melancholy. “ I wish I could have seen him when he was a little pup… I bet he was so cute! Not that he’s not cute now, because you’re very cute, Spicy.” She makes sure to compliment the hellhound, just in case. When Astrid is finally done smothering the hellhound, Cypress is waiting patiently; she perks her ears, cocking her head quizzically when Astrid mentions her father. “Oh? Your dad?” She remarks, a small nervous edge to her voice as she trods after Astrid. Her hooves click against the floor of the estate, and for a moment, she thinks that the place is so big that it’s echoing— but it’s not.
When she stops walking, looking embarrassed and ready to apologize, she realizes that the ‘echo’ is still walking. She bristles a little when she sees the golem— the source of the other sound— and she takes a step closer to Astrid. “Um… is that your dad?” She asks, puzzled by the mere concept of that assumption; she lowers her ears back, heterochromatic gaze searching the strange creature quizzically. It mentions Reports, and Conscripts, and… well...
She’s never actually seen a living, non-breathing golem. Cypress looks at Astrid, ears tilting forwards to catch her introduction. “Charles…” she repeats, watching the aforementioned Charles stand motionless for a moment; she bristles when its eyes light up when it speaks again. “U-uh, it’s very nice to meet you too, Charles.” She stutters; she clumsily grasps the edges of her skirt, nearly bumping into Astrid while she offers Charles a polite curtsy.
She looks at Astrid, looking meek as she adds, "Um... I hope it's not rude to ask, but what is he?"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 3, 2023 0:14:56 GMT -5
“Aye! He was still pretty big, but his paws were huge compared ta his little legs!” Astrid says with a giggle. Dusting her hands on her pants, she digs into her bag and pulls up a rolled-up piece of perfect parchment[1] which she unfurls. On it, magic generates ink that forms an image of the disproportionate puppy Pawsage with giant paws and floppy ears. “See? Look at ‘im!”
Noticing Cypress’ surprise at the appearance of Charles, Astrid looks between the bot and the faun and says, “Huh? Oh, no this ain’t me da.” Once she finishes her conversation, and Charles makes his robotic introduction, Astrid continues. “Charles is a Blixto™. A metal construct made by Platinum Corp. He was a… Well, I call ‘im a gift, but he’s properly a “reward” from Miss Veliky fer a job I did when I first started adventurin’. Really, he’s more of a babysitter, if ya ask me. Keeps an eye on the house an’ keeps da company nowadays.”
Charles’ eyes whir as his head turns between the two children, and his voice pipes up and explains. “Report: This unit, designation C.H.A.R.L.E.S., is specially programmed by employees of Platinum Corp for a specific challenge. This designation refers to Chasing and Herding Astrid Reactionary Legionnaire Encumbrance Specialization unit, otherwise known as C.H.A.R.L.E.S.”
Astrid looks less than impressed and jabs a thumb at Charles. “Otherwise known as construct babysitter. But he carries stuff too.”
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 4, 2023 21:37:28 GMT -5
When Astrid turns the parchment towards her, Cypress utterly forgets to ask about it; instead, she melts over the little image of a funny looking Spicy with a head far too big for his little body, and paws so big that she can’t imagine Spicy was anything but a clumsy little pubby.
Of course, the arrival of Charles does take Cypress’ attention from such an illegally precious creature, and she stands close to Astrid, looking between the girl and the construct in the hall. “Oh.” In hindsight, asking if Charles was her dad was a little silly. “A Blixto™…” she repeats, as if it’s going to make anymore sense to her if she does. She lowers her ears, cocking a brow at Astrid while she explains numerous names that she is unfamiliar with— but babysitter makes sense. Still, how much complicated magic must something like Charles take to create…?
She definitely doesn’t understand in its entirety what he is, but she knows that most golems are fashioned through magical means. Astrid must know so many interesting, complex people.
“That’s so cool…” When Charles makes a whirring noise, Cypress bristles; she blinks in surprise while he explains his name; and can’t help but purse her lips to hide a smile. The… the what? She snickers, covering her mouth with both hands before she looks at Astrid with a laugh. “ Wait, so… so he’s named Charles because he is meant to ‘chase and herd’ you?” She can’t keep the bemusement out of her voice, “ Miss Veliky must really like you to name something after you like that.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 4, 2023 21:50:48 GMT -5
Astrid sighs. If only Charles’ timing didn’t ruin the absolute entertainment Astrid gets out of Cypress enjoying the doofy drawing of tiny Spicy Pawsage. She rolls up the parchment and tucks it away.
There is one thing Astrid does not feel often, but Cypress struggling not to giggle about Charles’ official unit designation breaks that streak because the girl feels her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment and some twinge of annoyance. “I-I mean… I guess I were a handful before I got a da, a-an’ maybe I still am, but I ain’t need a babysitter. I fight monsters!”
She crosses her arms, looking away with pursed lips. When she finally speaks again, she murmurs, “Ain’t like Miss Veliky’ll admit she cares a lick about me. Not in a million, billion years. Stubborn as a mountain, that one. I’d only just started gettin’ beneath the surface, an’ then she up an’ buries herself in her work.”
Letting the tension out of her shoulders, Astrid sighs again and lets her arms fall. “Anyway, if ya give Charles yer bag, I’ll show ya ‘round the house!”
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 4, 2023 22:11:37 GMT -5
Cypress can’t help but grin over Astrid’s defense; but she manages to swallow back her laughter when Astrid looks away. A butterfly of guilt perches in her chest, and she can’t help but feel a little bad; she’s not exactly the most socially inclined, and it’s hard to tell if she’s actually offended Astrid.
Did she cross a line?
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that in a bad way!” She tries to apologize, but hesitates when she picks up Astrid’s murmuring. She can’t really say she relates; but maybe she was insensitive when she mentioned Miss Veliky. It’s not like she knows her, and it’s not like she knows what Astrid and her relationship is like, but she can’t quite stop herself from pitching in anyways— because Astrid seems a little downcast about it, and Cypress doesn’t want to ruin the mood.
So, she tries to be supportive, somehow. “ Climbing a mountain is hard work, but you’ll reach the top as long as you keep climbin’, right? Besides, someone who gave you something to look after you… Even if you didn't need it then or now, they must care about you to give it to you.” she remarks sheepishly. “ Um… but… it isn’t really my place to talk about that, is it? I’m sorry. I just think it’s real neat, having something named after you like that.” She’s grateful for the change in topic, and she nods, offering her basket to Charles before the house tour begins.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 4, 2023 22:37:51 GMT -5
“Huh? No, don’t apologize,” Astrid says, snapping out of her murmuring and waving the thought away. “Don’t s’pose it’s a bad thin’. Guess it was a bit weird goin’ from free reign ta havin’ this clunky guy followin’ me around.”
Admittedly, she didn’t think about the programming including her name being anything besides annoying when combined with all the other words, but maybe Cypress is right. That hunk of walking metal was a good companion for the time Astrid was alone. And he still makes a companion well enough around the house.
“Gettin’ under Miss Veliky’s skin sure was like climbin’ a mountain,” Astrid says, fer face twisting into a more confident grin, “but if there’s one thin’ about dwarves, it’s that mountains are like our bread an’ butter! I’m Stormstone, not Stormsand. I’ll out stubborn anyone any day a’ the week!”
Extending one hand, Charles looks to Cypress and takes her basket before looking at Astrid. “Mistress Astrid, query: Should this unit place Civilian Cypress’ things in the spare bedroom?”
“Aye, that sounds good,” Astrid says. “Not the one with Tim’s tank in it though.”
A little crackle sputters from Charles as he starts up speaking again. “Confirmed.” Then he robotically turns and heads up the stairs with as much grace as a toddler who’s just learned to walk.
Astrid grins. “Tour time!” Then she takes Cypress on a full tour of the house, starting with the ground floor, which mostly consists of the foyer, living room, dining room, and kitchen. Spicy Pawsage accepts another ruffle of the ears before plodding into the living room and climbing on the couch for another nap. When Astrid enters the kitchen, her grin turns into more of a smirk.
“So, ya’ve never had a Blixt™, huh? Well, feast yer eyes!” Pulling a stool over to the counter and taking two cabinet knobs in her hands, Astrid throws the cabinet open to reveal the absolutely full stock of Blixt™. No matter how much she’s ever tried or how much Blue Raspberry consumes, the cabinet always seems to remain full. It probably has something to do with some strings or magic Veliky pulled when she had the house constructed.
“We’ve got every flavor! What do ya like? Fruity? Vanilla? Spicy? It’s all there!”
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 5, 2023 19:16:06 GMT -5
Astrid’s confident grin instantly negates Cypress’ worry; the satyr smiles subtly, chuckling while Astrid brags about her dwarven heritage— at least, Cypress can only assume. “I bet.” She agrees cheerfully as she hands Charles her basket; which, she honestly completely forgot she even brought with her. At least, she made no active thoughts about the basket until she watches Charles take it— and she realizes she completely forgot to put up any of the snacks she brought!
But… she supposes it means she will have snacks to eat later; and tea to make! Maybe she can make something for Astrid out of her snacks as a thank you for… well, this whole thing.
Astrid declares that it’s time for the house tour; and Cypress grins, happily bouncing off of her energy as she follows Astrid around the house. There are a number of Ooh’s and Aah’s to be had; Cypress’ heterochromatic eyes glitter with awe in each part of the house; because she only ever really sees this kind of nice architecture in public buildings, or… not in Darkveil. At all.
Astrid’s house is big and roomy, it’s got so much space. It’s a little messy here and there, but what house with a kid isn’t? Spicy Pawsage snuggles up on the couch as they pass through towards the kitchen, and Cypress can’t help herself from giving Spicy Pawsage a little scratch as they pass. Everything here is beautiful; and Cypress feels a little pang of unmaliced jealousy; a little wave of melancholy.
Astrid really has so much, and honestly, Cypress is so glad for her. She loves the orphanage, and she loves the people there; but to have a house, with a family; it really is kind of the orphan jackpot, right?
She wiggles her tail as she passes into the kitchen, “Nuh-uh.” She agrees, shaking her head when Astrid asks about the Blixt™. She’s still not sure what it is— but then she drags a stool over to a cabinet— and throws it open dramatically. Celestials sing somewhere in the distance. Babies cry, probably. Cypress has no idea what she is looking at, but she still coos out a, “Woah…” at the sheer volume of product in the cabinet. “So Blixt™ is a… drink? You sure have a lot of it...” Cypress looks at Astrid for confirmation as she trots up to the counter, and puts her hands on it.
She tips forwards, standing on the points of her hooves, to see the Blixt™ in the cabinet. “Cool Ranch…? White Pepper… Lite… Dark… Feij… feji… hah?? How do you pronounce that one?” She can’t even read the label on that one, no matter how hard she squints at it. It’s a little overwhelming how many there are— and does that one have a warning label on it? “Um…" She purses her lips thoughtfully; well, they must be pretty good for Astrid to have this many of them, right? "Which one’s your favorite? Maybe I’ll try that one.”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 8, 2023 19:43:08 GMT -5
Young Astrid’s mind doesn’t consider for a moment that showing Cypress around the house could be perceived as showing off or flaunting what she has. She’s very practical, and in her mind, it’s important for Cypress to know where everything is in the house if she’s going to be staying here for a little bit. The place is really too big for Astrid or Cantio’s needs, –They said as much when Veliky gifted them this place.– so Astrid is happy to share the space with someone else. She would’ve been perfectly content with a little hut because home is less about the place and more about the people.
As she shows her where to find snacks in the kitchen and finally reveals the cabinets stocked with Blixt™, she thinks for a moment. “Aye, it’s a drink. Makes yer mind work real fast! I get a lot done when I drink it. If ya have too much, it’ll make ya a bit shaky though. Da prefers if I steer clear a’ the stuff most days. Says it makes me a bit wild, but doubt he could stop me if I wanted more. Far as havin’ a lot of it…” Astrid looks up at the cabinet. “Yeah, I think there’s some magic or somethin’ on these cabinets, ‘cause we don’t never buy any fer ourselves. It’s always just there. Least I know there’s always somethin’ ta eat!” She says the last part lightheartedly with a smile as if to cover up the fact that she is all too aware of what being very hungry and thirsty are.
Astrid really does hope that Cypress hasn’t spent any time on the streets despite being an orphan. It’s not a pleasant experience, especially when all someone might really want is to be welcomed inside with open arms and to know that they are loved. Maybe that’s part of why she’s been admittedly pushy about having Cypress come along with her. A change of pace, a new friend for each of them, something fun to do that isn’t worrying about things or being wistful.
Heck, if Cypress wanted to stay, no one in the house would argue about that. But, while Astrid knows the worst thing Cypress could do if she posed that to the faun is say no, that seems a bit much for the first day knowing someone. Besides, Cyran and Del do take great care of the kids, and they genuinely care about Cypress and her happiness, at least as far as Astrid can tell.
Her mind having gone way off track, Astrid digs through the cabinets. “Um… I can’t pronounce that one either. Some weird foreign word, if ya ask me. Throw somethin’ dwarvish on there, an’ I won’t have no issues, but that? I ain’t got a clue.” Finally, she finds the pirate rum-flavored Blixt™ and produces it with a grin. “This one tastes real bad, but it’s like drinkin’ the adult stuff!” She giggles.
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 13, 2023 19:00:47 GMT -5
The more Astrid talks about the drinks in her cabinet, the more Cypress wonders if they’re really just drinks. “Eh, really?” She wonders, blinking at the girl before looking back at the large expanse of bottles waiting patiently for her to make a decision over her head. They sound more like potions when Astrid describes them, but the large amount of drinks in the cabinet plus the cutesy packaging makes her wonder about that.
It’s hard to mass-produce quality potions, given how much goes into their creations, after all!
“So they give you a lot of energy, but also the shakes?” She concludes, ears perking as she watches Astrid dig through the cabinets for a particular flavor. Her tail wiggles curiously; and her eyes follow Astrid’s hand as she produces a Blixt™ flavor from the cabinet. “Pirate’s Rum?” She repeats with a cock of her head; but she can’t help but laugh when Astrid brags about it tasting awful, but being like the adult’s drinks Cypress used to see being ordered at the Brass Dragon all of the time. “If it’s so bad, how come you drink it?” She asks with a giggle; and yet, the fact that it is apparently really bad does not make Cypress shy away.
In fact, she can’t help but wonder… how bad can it be?
Does it really taste like the adult stuff? She kind of wants to know, even if it’s a morbid curiosity that is bound to lead her down a road of disappointment. She turns her head back to the cabinet, scooting closer so she can claw at the remaining bottles until she pulls a similar bottle out.
She turns it over, reading the label to make sure she’s got the same bottle as Astrid. She pokes her tongue between her teeth as she clumsily pops off the lid, and perks her ears once she hears a pop! and a fading fizzle after it opens. “Cheers?” She chuckles sheepishly, offering out her bottle to Astrid in a playful toast before she succumbs to the taste of watered-down rum. “To… um… new friends?”
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 13, 2023 21:39:35 GMT -5
Astrid thinks about it then shrugs. “I dunno, adults do the same thin’ even when they don’t like the taste a’ somethin’.” She also goes about pulling a couple of more fruity flavors out of the cabinet. "It’s real weird... If I’m bein’ rightly honest, I think it's me dwarven ancestors tellin' me ta grown some hair on me chest or somethin’ a’ the like. Dwarves like their ale an’ grog an’ everythin’ in between. The taste a’ ale ain’t all that bad, though. Lighter than the rum taste.”
Despite being a kid, Astrid somehow talks about alcohol like a connoisseur. In reality, she’s only just recently really learned about some of the tastes after a jaunt to the Pale City alongside a cowboy with a penchant for alcohol.
Sitting on the counter, Astrid compares the rum-flavored bottle to the fruit-flavored bottles and ponders why she would keep drinking it if not actually some odd ancestry thing. “Might also just be me tryna get accustomed ta the taste so when I’m grown I can drink the dwarves under the table an’ prove I’m just as much a dwarf as any of ‘em.” Ah, spite. That makes much more sense. Dwarves spent so long telling her she’s a little devil child and not a dwarf, but dammit, the only thing she knows about her ancestry is that her mother was definitely a dwarf. She can be proud of that even if latching onto it is just some subconscious way of holding on to something that never wanted her in the first place.
Anyway, caffeine!
To her surprise, Cypress is down to try what might be the worst flavor for kids, which means it’s probably the most jam-packed with caffeine, which ultimately might be the real reason Astrid likes it, even if she doesn’t know that. “Pff– There’s fruit flavors too, ya can try whatever ya like!” But she’s got the rum one! In proper drinking buddy fashion, Cypress pulls the cork out with her teeth, and Astrid laughs and does the same.
“Aye, cheers! Skal! Ta new friends an’ our first ever sleepover!” She clacks her bottle against Cypress’ and downs it all in one go.
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Post by Cypress Springleap on Dec 13, 2023 22:48:09 GMT -5
“Well, adults are silly!” Cypress objects with a shake of her head, flopping her long ears against either side of her face as she does so. She watches Astrid pull some more flavors out of the cabinet— but she asked for Astrid’s favorite, and she thinks it’s this one. Cypress blinks, lifting her ears when Astrid talks about her dwarven heritage.
“You think so?” She reminisces, looking at the rum Blixt™ in her hands. For a minute, it has her thinking about her ancestors, too… except, she doesn’t really know much about them. She’s seen a few satyr— but not as many as she’s seen elves, or humans, or fellbloods. What would they like? Would they tell her something, if they could? Would she want to make them proud? Would her weird magical inabilities come from them, somehow? There’s a lot of questions that rise to the forefront of her mind, but… it’s easier not to think about it. It’s easier to smile at Astrid when she hears her voice again easier to pry open the cork of the bottle with her teeth to toast with Astrid— just like she’s seen the adults do at the Brass Dragon— and easier to let the questions fade away as she laughs at Astrid’s response. “Skal! To new friends, and our first sleepover!” She agrees gleefully as she clacks her bottle against hers, then takes a regretfully big sip of that bottle after Astrid's cue.
Oh, a mistake.
Almost immediately, Cypress recoils from the taste, covering her mouth with one hand while she scrunches her nose at the weird flavor. It’s a little sweet and a little smoky, but the taste is thinner than a strand of hair— it’s horridly watered down, but not watered down enough to call it water. It tastes a little like using only one tea leaf to flavour a cup of lukewarm tea. “Ech!” She manages to sputter after swallowing a mouthful; she squints at the bottle like it’s offended her and holds it away as she looks at.
She chokes on a laugh, looking at Astrid in bewilderment that she’s just chugged the whole thing. “I think you might be able to drink any dwarf under the table, now!” She takes another sip from the bottle, as if the first wasn’t enough to let her know she doesn’t actually like it. She makes another face, pursing her lips tightly before she swallows and grimaces, “ Yeah, that’s not great for me.” She coughs, clutching the bottle in both hands; this is Astrid’s favorite though, and she’s not going to… not drink it. “ But I’m going to drink it— just, slower than you.” She grins at Astrid, then glances at the cabinet where she’s taken down a few of the fruit-flavored Blixt™. “ Um, maybe wash it down with one of these after, though.” She adds, picking one up with a chuckle. “ It really has it’s own, um…” She sniffs, taking yet another sip of the drink. The third time does not make it better. “ Unique… flavor.” She finally scrapes out.
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